1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of oral hygiene systems, and more particularly to a system suitable to care for institutionalized individuals.
2. Description of Related Art
As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. D397,788; 5,062,796; 5,183,035; 5,344,317;5,503,553 and 5,634,791, the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse oral hygiene devices.
While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, they are uniformly deficient with respect to their failure to provide a simple, efficient, and practical oral hygiene system designed to provide adequate care to institutionalized individuals.
The methods used to provide oral hygiene to an institutionalized individual have remained essentially unchanged for many years and have proven to be inadequate even when administered conscientiously. This consists of a staff person using a conventional toothbrush and a dentifrice at the patient's bedside, or at a lavatory if the patient is not bedfast. Some commonly encountered problems using this method are: inadequate lighting for proper visualization of tooth surfaces; inadequate visualization due to accumulation of saliva, food debris, blood and toothpaste because the patient is unable to expectorate; the patient choking on salivary accumulations and/or toothpaste; the patient "pouching" food in the vestibule between the cheek and gums; inability to rinse a patient's mouth at the completion of the procedure; and staff non-compliance due to difficulty of the procedure.
As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need for a new and improved oral hygiene system and the provision of such a construction is a stated objective of the present invention.